LS 3 Groups of organisms show evidence of change over time (structures, behaviors, and biochemistry).
National Standards:
Science as Inquiry - Content Standard A: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop
Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
Understandings about scientific inquiry
Life Science - Content Standard C: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of
Biological Evolution
Context of Lesson:
This inquiry lesson takes place in the computer lab and involves students completing an interactive online lab focused on evolution and natural selection. The lab is introduced through a whole class discussion and then students explore the simulations. The students do the first simulation to see how the program works and how natural selection takes place with the fictitious organisms. They then move on to further experiments where they play around with the mutation rate and selection strength for the simulation. There are questions that go along with each section and students will also make graphs in excel to further see relationships among the data. After the simulations, the lab includes a mini tutorial on exaptation for students to explore. Lastly, we will go back to the quote analysis chart from last class and students will answer the questions they presented.
Opportunities to Learn:
Depth of Knowledge
Webb's Level 1 (Recall & Reproduction) - Represent in words or diagrams a scientific concept or relationship.
Webb's Level 2 (Skills & Concepts) - Specify and explain the relationship between facts, terms, properties, or variables; Select a procedure according to specified criteria and perform it.
Webb's Level 3 (Strategic Thinking) - Interpret information from a complex graph (such as determining features of the graph or aggregating data in the graph); Form conclusions from experimental or observational data.
Webb's Level 4 (Extended Thinking) - Develop generalizations of the results obtained and the strategies used and apply them to new problem situations.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Darwin's proposal of the theory of natural selection
There are variation in traits which can either be selected for or against
Concepts in genetics
Basics skills in using computers and Excel
Using data to develop scientific conclusions and explanations
Plans for Differentiating Instruction
After the introduction, students will be able to advance through the lab at their own speed. Some students will understand the lab more easily and will not need to ask many questions, while some students will progress more slowly stopping to ask questions/get clarification.
Challenge students to perform more simulations than required and explain how they relate, or
Accommodations and modifications
If needed, peer-teachers will be provided for students who require the extra help/explanation.
If needed, have students complete a fewer number of simulations, focusing mostly on the initial simulation and then one each of altering the mutation rate and selection strength.
If needed, exempt students from completing the exaptation portion of the lab.
Environmental factors
This class will be held in the computer lab. The lab is set up so each student has their own computer station. The stations are arranged in a single row around the perimeter of the room on three sides. All students face into the center of the lab where a teaching station is located. There is a large projection screen in the front of the room for students to see what the teacher is doing on their computer.
Whole class introduction to the lab.
Each student complete own interactive lab, but discussion about lab with peers and teacher is encouraged.
Materials
Computer for each student with Internet access Be sure that you have reserved the computer lab for the day you plan to do this lesson!
After this lesson students will be able to:
1. Describe the elements involved in the process of natural selection (artifact = lab questions)
2. Create and explain a graph plotting data from natural selection (artifact = lab graph and questions)
3. Explain how mutation rates and selection strength effect natural selection (artifact = lab questions)
4. Explain what exaptations are and why they exist (artifact = lab questions)
Instruction:
Opening:
1. As students enter the class remind them that we are going to the computer lab today, so do not unpack their stuff.
2. Once in the computer lab: "Last class we compiled a list of questions we still had about Darwin's theory of natural selection. Did anyone think of more questions, or did we find any answers to our questions?"
3. "Today we are going to explore natural selection and be able to answer many of our questions by the end of the period. Let's start by logging in to the computers and go to the Biology In Motion webpage." (Either give them the web address or guide them to the page from Mr. Browne's schoolnotes page).
Engagement:
Part 1: Introduction to the Lab
1. "I need everyone to stay with me for the first few pages and then you will be able to explore the lab on your own."
2. Instruct students to look over the first page of the lab. "Who can tell me what we are going to see in this lab? What types of tools will we be able to use?"
3. "Moving on to the next page, who can give me one element required for natural selection?" Go through the five elements involved in the process of natural selection.
4. "The next page has more detail on the organisms we will see in the lab. As we can see, the "grabber" is going to evolve on these organisms. What do we think is going to happen over time? Open a word document and write your hypothesis."
5. "How is the grabber going to change in this lab?" (mutation) "It is also important to note the differences in this simulation compared to real life. What conditions are regulating this lab and how do they compare to real life?" (no sex, offspring have exact phenotype of parent unless there is a mutation).
Part 2: Running the natural selection simulation
1. Have students run the simulation for the full 250 cycles to see natural selection in progress. They can start by going one cycle at a time and then use the other two "go" buttons to see the population evolve in bigger cycle jumps.
2. Tell students to watch the yellow grid boxes and the graph at the top of the page as the simulation progresses.
3. "Once the simulation reaches cycle 250, click on the data button and copy all the data points into an excel spread sheet."
4. Walk through making the graph with the class as a whole. "What are important factors to make sure we include when giving this graph a title?" (selection strength and mutation rate)
Part 3: Further Experiments
1. Have students explore the "Further Experiments" section, which instructs them to play around with the mutation rate and selection strength.
2. Have students go through the questions posed in this section of the lab, and answer the questions in their word document.
Part 4: Exaptations
1. Have students complete the tutorial in the lab on exaptations.
2. Answer the questions within the lab in their word document.
Closure:
1. Complete the conclusion section of the lab as a class.
2. Go over what is present in the lab and then further the discussion by referring back to the questions we had about Darwin and natural selection.
3. Looking at the questions from the quote analysis chart, have students write up answers to their questions in their word document.
4. Have students email their completed word documents to me for a grade. Students often get caught up in computer activities and do not connect them to the topics you are trying to address. You should have some questions that focus on the ideas about natural selection that the simulation makes clear. If you give these questions to the students beforehand, you can remind them to think about the questions as you walk around to help/monitor their progress.
Assessment:
1. Formative assessment as students complete the interactive lab.
2. Completed questions and graphs from the natural selection simulation lab.
3. Completed answers to the questions from the quote analysis chart.
Lesson Title:
Exploring Natural Selection (90 minutes)State Standards: GLEs/GSEs
LS 3 Groups of organisms show evidence of change over time (structures, behaviors, and biochemistry).National Standards:
Science as Inquiry - Content Standard A: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop- Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
- Understandings about scientific inquiry
Life Science - Content Standard C: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding ofContext of Lesson:
This inquiry lesson takes place in the computer lab and involves students completing an interactive online lab focused on evolution and natural selection. The lab is introduced through a whole class discussion and then students explore the simulations. The students do the first simulation to see how the program works and how natural selection takes place with the fictitious organisms. They then move on to further experiments where they play around with the mutation rate and selection strength for the simulation. There are questions that go along with each section and students will also make graphs in excel to further see relationships among the data. After the simulations, the lab includes a mini tutorial on exaptation for students to explore. Lastly, we will go back to the quote analysis chart from last class and students will answer the questions they presented.Opportunities to Learn:
Depth of Knowledge
Prerequisite Knowledge
Plans for Differentiating Instruction
Accommodations and modifications
Environmental factors
Materials
Objectives:
After this lesson students will be able to:1. Describe the elements involved in the process of natural selection (artifact = lab questions)
2. Create and explain a graph plotting data from natural selection (artifact = lab graph and questions)
3. Explain how mutation rates and selection strength effect natural selection (artifact = lab questions)
4. Explain what exaptations are and why they exist (artifact = lab questions)
Instruction:
Opening:
1. As students enter the class remind them that we are going to the computer lab today, so do not unpack their stuff.2. Once in the computer lab: "Last class we compiled a list of questions we still had about Darwin's theory of natural selection. Did anyone think of more questions, or did we find any answers to our questions?"
3. "Today we are going to explore natural selection and be able to answer many of our questions by the end of the period. Let's start by logging in to the computers and go to the Biology In Motion webpage." (Either give them the web address or guide them to the page from Mr. Browne's schoolnotes page).
Engagement:
Part 1: Introduction to the Lab1. "I need everyone to stay with me for the first few pages and then you will be able to explore the lab on your own."
2. Instruct students to look over the first page of the lab. "Who can tell me what we are going to see in this lab? What types of tools will we be able to use?"
3. "Moving on to the next page, who can give me one element required for natural selection?" Go through the five elements involved in the process of natural selection.
4. "The next page has more detail on the organisms we will see in the lab. As we can see, the "grabber" is going to evolve on these organisms. What do we think is going to happen over time? Open a word document and write your hypothesis."
5. "How is the grabber going to change in this lab?" (mutation) "It is also important to note the differences in this simulation compared to real life. What conditions are regulating this lab and how do they compare to real life?" (no sex, offspring have exact phenotype of parent unless there is a mutation).
Part 2: Running the natural selection simulation
1. Have students run the simulation for the full 250 cycles to see natural selection in progress. They can start by going one cycle at a time and then use the other two "go" buttons to see the population evolve in bigger cycle jumps.
2. Tell students to watch the yellow grid boxes and the graph at the top of the page as the simulation progresses.
3. "Once the simulation reaches cycle 250, click on the data button and copy all the data points into an excel spread sheet."
4. Walk through making the graph with the class as a whole. "What are important factors to make sure we include when giving this graph a title?" (selection strength and mutation rate)
Part 3: Further Experiments
1. Have students explore the "Further Experiments" section, which instructs them to play around with the mutation rate and selection strength.
2. Have students go through the questions posed in this section of the lab, and answer the questions in their word document.
Part 4: Exaptations
1. Have students complete the tutorial in the lab on exaptations.
2. Answer the questions within the lab in their word document.
Closure:
1. Complete the conclusion section of the lab as a class.2. Go over what is present in the lab and then further the discussion by referring back to the questions we had about Darwin and natural selection.
3. Looking at the questions from the quote analysis chart, have students write up answers to their questions in their word document.
4. Have students email their completed word documents to me for a grade.
Students often get caught up in computer activities and do not connect them to the topics you are trying to address. You should have some questions that focus on the ideas about natural selection that the simulation makes clear. If you give these questions to the students beforehand, you can remind them to think about the questions as you walk around to help/monitor their progress.
Assessment:
1. Formative assessment as students complete the interactive lab.2. Completed questions and graphs from the natural selection simulation lab.
3. Completed answers to the questions from the quote analysis chart.
Reflections
(only done after lesson is enacted)Student Work Sample 1 – Approaching Proficiency:
Student Work Sample 2 – Proficient:
Student Work Sample 3 – Exceeds Proficiency:
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